Another Graduate

How can I put this so that you understand?? Maybe I can say that it was a very special day. Nope. Not good enough. Maybe I can say that it was a proud moment. Well...getting there. Possibly that it was bitter sweet. Yeah, that's closer. I don't know how to put into words our emotions on the day my little brother graduated from high school. Happy. Excited. Sad. Nervous. Anxious. And ONE PROUD SISTER.

It's not just like any other sibling graduating from high school. This is my LITTLE brother. I changed his diaper, for pete sakes! I'm 12 years older than him & graduated from the same high school 12 years ago. I feel more than a sister. Not quite parental...but close!

Curt & I are so close, we've never fought. Not once. Never. We've had 1 disagreement that I can remember but it was over something so stupid & we weren't even mad at each other. Other than that....nothing. Yeah there were the moments when he was little where I wouldn't let him in my room, but that wasn't cause we were fighting or I was mad at him. It was cause I was in Junior High & wanted to be alone.

Our grandma came to town from LA & it was SO wonderful seeing her...since it'd been several months. Our aunt, uncle, & 3 cousins also came to town from Spokane, which was super nice of them. Tt was fitting that I was a total baby the day he graduated. I got to thinking..."Gee, if I'm like this when he graduates, what on EARTH will I be like when my own children graduate?!" I mean, seriously!! We started the cry-fest at church, where he was recognized in front of the congregation. This is a tradition in our church before graduation, but just so happened that this year he was the only graduate, so all the focus was on him. Thank goodness I had an entire package of Kleenex in my purse...and thank goodness I got all my ugly cry out at church so the gym-full of people didn't have to witness the ball-fest.

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

This is at church, before graduation...just a little brotherly teasing going on

At church - Grandma, Mike, & Curt



Curt - walking up getting his diploma



Receiving his diploma & getting his tassle moved to the other side

"FHS - Class of 2012 - You are now alumni!!"

Proud family

Curt & Gram

Yeah, so what if I'm on my tip-toes. He always teases me about my height... :(

At the after-graduation party held for about 15 graduates. This is Curt & his amazingly sweet, beautiful girlfriend, Kaitlyn. 

Brookie on the dancefloor trying to catch the lights with the other kids.

It was a great day & one that we'll never forget. We are so proud of Curtis & will miss him terribly when he goes to college in just a couple short months. But for now, we have a summer filled with baseball!! I love you bruddah!!!



Auntie Weekend

Dustin has 5 aunts... His dad was the youngest & was the only boy out of 6 kids. So he had 5 protective older sisters, whom he nicknamed the Smotherers! His 5 aunts are all just flat amazing & we love spending time with them. So Dustin's younger sister, Marji, & Dustin & I went up to the Flathead Lake area in northwestern Montana. As a definite non-Montana lover, I do have to admit that it is gorgeous up there.

 

We drove up on Friday & back on Sunday, so it was a quick trip, but it was so nice seeing the aunties. We didn't get to see all 5, but we did get to do something very special...

 

They had a bunch of trees that they wanted planted on their church grounds in memory of Dustin's dad. So on Sunday, after church, we planted trees! This picture is of some family planting...

 

And the finished product...looks amazing

Other than the tree-planting, we had fun dinners, went to the hot springs, played games, & attended a nice church service. It was an awesome weekend!!

We're excited to go back & see the trees & how they're growing...in memory of Maury. But we're especially excited to go back soon to spend more quality time with the aunties!!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!!

This year was a typical Mother's Day...and I'm finally getting used to the fact that Mother's Day is about me too! I have the hardest time realizing that I am a mother...I usually just think of MY mom on Mother's Day...but now I have 2 little people who think of ME and I think that's cool!!!

This year we got up, went to Church, went to Dustin's mom's house to give her her present, then to Curtis' baseball games, & back home for a yummy BBQ. It was a nice day!!

We (Dustin, Marji [his sister], & Mike [Marji's husband]) were so excited for his mom's present. As you know, their dad passed away in February. The day after he passed, the 4 of us went to the funeral home to buy his urn. When we were there we saw these necklaces that loved-ones get with the deceased person's fingerprint on it. It's really a neat idea & a wonderful keepsake. As soon as we saw it we thought of their mom, who would have loved to have it. We figured it'd be perfect for Mother's Day (would give us enough time to save up for it!) So on Mother's Day, once it finally came in, we were extatic!! She was pretty excited about it too....

It was a great day...filled with memories, loved ones, baseball, & awesome food!!!

Another Round of Sears

For those of you who are new to our blog, or those of you who need a refresher course in our Sears pictures, click here to read about our terrible, horrible, no good, very bad 2010 Christmas picture session. Then click here to see about our 2011 Christmas pictures.

So from those posts, it's easy to see why I'd be terribly nervous about these pictures. But thank the Lord, I was pleasantly surprised! We (my mom, the girls, & me) got to Sears, changed the girls into their Easter outfits, & started posing them. The girl doing the pictures was young & she clearly didn't have any kids of her own. She had no idea how to talk to little kids...so I was nervous at how it'd go. But we had practiced our smiles for the past 18 hours so the girls were ready!! I think they're getting to that age where they are ok with planned activities, too.

So we posed the girls, told them to smile, & WA-LAA!!! THEY SMILED!!! They did SUCH a great job. We took a few pictures, had them change their clothes, took more pictures with their number (Brooke with her "2" & Cali with her "4") & were done! It was the quickest & best pictures we've done yet. :o) I like doing pictures at this time because it's right smack dab between their birthdays & right after Easter...so we kill 3 birds with 1 stone...... or 3 picture-sessions with just 1 shoot! Yay!

Here's a bunch of those pictures...which I think turned out really cute. I saved my favorite for last...

Here's to hoping all picture sessions go this good!! ;)

Graduate!

Saturday, May 5th, 2012, which was 5 years to the day that I graduated from college with my Associate's, was the day I graduated with my Bachelor's! Click here for a short explanation of my BSN.

Originally (5 years ago), I was just going to continue on in my quest for the BSN. But once I got that first degree I was pooped. I was definitely schooled-out! So I took a much-needed break. I finally decided, in 2009, to go ahead & go back. I started in the Fall of 2009 & was expecting to take just the 4 consecutive semesters & be done. That would have been Fall 09 then Spring, Summer, & Fall of 2010 & be done! But with the birth of Brooklyn in the middle of my 2nd semester & with all the nevus "stuff" I took the Fall of 2010 & Spring 2011 off & then finished off in the Summer of 2011. Technically I should have actually graduated in the Spring 2011 graduation. But honestly I wasn't even close to being in that mindset! We were busy with 2 surgeries that semester & just life in general so school wasn't even on my radar. Hahaha little did I know that that would have an impact if I ever did decide to do graduation.....

Fast forward to now... I wasn't going to participate in graduation. No real good reason why; I just wasn't going to do it. I did it once in high school, once in college, & just felt that was enough. But then I got an announcement for our graduation in the mail & had more thoughts of actually participating. I eventually decided to go ahead & participate...mainly for my girls. I knew that Cali would remember it. I wanted to show her that it is important to be recognized for your accomplishments & to be rewarded for finishing things that you start. So after I'd already told the school that I wasn't going to participate I had to take it back! I called them & told them I was going to walk in graduation & then I sent an email them them a couple weeks later. A few weeks after that I called & sent another email to verify that they did have me down as walking. They assured me they did & that I was good to go. I ordered my cap & gown (why...I have no idea... All I needed was a new tassle cause I had my cap/gown from 5 years ago) & they had it ready for me the morning of graduation. So we were good to go.

We decided to leave Brooke behind cause she's so squirmy & there is NO way she would have stayed seated. So she stayed with Dustin's mom while we went to graduation. Dustin, Cali, & I packed in the car & drove on Friday night to Havre (3 1/2 hrs away) where MSU-Northern is. We stayed the night & woke up early Saturday AM cause I had to pick up my cap/gown/tassle from the Bookstore. Then we parted ways so Cali & Dustin could get a seat & I could line up.

I went to pick up my card with my name on it but they didn't have one for me. Haha...figures! They didn't have my name written down anywhere...not on the nursing sheet, not in the list of names, not even on the entire master graduation list! Great. They had no problem adding me, but it was slightly annoying since I'd verified with them sooo many times that I was going to be there. They told me where to go line up &, with the help of the lady in charge of graduation, I found my spot. After standing there for a while she came back up to me apologizing for not having my name written down. She felt horrible. We eventually figured out it was because I technically should have graduated last year (with just that one summer class to go). Ugh!! Then I got a text from Dustin that my name wasn't in the program either. :(  I'm a scrapbooker & I love keeping stuff like that so I was really bummed that it wasn't in the program. But I wrote the graduation people asking if I was listed in 2011's program.

So we walked in, had graduation, & left!! LOL Simple as that! Cali did amazingly well. She sat right next to Dustin & played the iPad to pass the time. Here are a few pictures from the day!

Cali didn't like me with the hat on. She wouldn't let me pick her up or take a picture with her. So Dustin & I had to quietly count...& on "3" I got close to her so Dustin could snap a quick picture!

With my fake diploma.

The 3 of us...and of course Cali isn't looking. Shy child!!

So that's done...now what?! ;o)

Eye Drops

My children love medicine. They LOVE it! I'm definitely loving that they love it cause it makes life a whole lot easier when it's time they get some. Last week Brooke's cold went to her eyes & the poor girl was just miserable so she got some eye drops from the doctor I work for. I was a little nervous the first time we had to do the drops, but just like other medicine, she LOVED it!! Four times a day wasn't enough for her!!!

I was telling the doctor I work for how well she took her eye drops but she didn't fully believe me so I told her I'd video tape it so she could see....  So here's the 23 second video of Brooke getting her eye drops!!



And here she is right after. Such a sweet girl!!!

Life in a Post

Wow has time flown by. I can't believe how long it's been since my last post. I guess that just goes to show how busy we are!! Here's our life in the past couple of months...

Unseasonably "warm" weather in March...so the girls had to take advantage of driving their car in our driveway!!

Brooke excited with herself that she's using the potty. This is first thing in the AM & she needed a blanket...she was cold. LOL

The girls' school pictures. They look so darn grown up!!!

Cali is 3 1/2 here & Brooke was a week from turning 2.

Brooke swinging...something she could do for hours!

Thinking she's hot stuff with ice cream all over her face!

Dustin & I got a night out to go to a hospital fundraiser

Brooke with Cali's Mickey ears on!

The girls with their presents from Aunt Teresa & Aunt Valerie

Cali with her new haircut....oh & make-up on too! (She likes being the total opposite of me & actually putting make-up on before leaving the house!)

During our huge snow storm. We ended up getting lots of inches...(like maybe 12??). It was really wet snow so the 4 of us went outside for the sole purpose of making snow angels. However...Cali didn't want to get wet so she wouldn't lay down. So she ate snow instead!!

And here's Brooke eating the snow too!

Daddy & the girls in front of their masterpiece....the snowman!!

They were very proud of their snowman!

Curt had his Senior prom!!! Here he is with his girlfriend, Kaitlyn. They're so darn cute!

Cali playing dress-up...in her Snow White halloween costume! (Thank goodness it's being put to good use!!)

Brooke wearing her bunny ears...wishing there was more candy!

Yes, folks...she's asleep. She fell asleep like this.

At Uncle Curt's baseball game...with Oma's visor around her waist!!

"Look ma!!! A pinecone!!!"

Cali with Opa's glasses on. :o)